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(N0 ModeL) G. W. GREENER.

THILL COUPLING.

Patented Jan. 5, 1886.

IV V E A/ T 0/? Gory W, are 6766 1 NITED STATES PATENT OFFICEQ ON E-HALF TO JAMES L. PRINGLE, OF SAME PLACE.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,518, dated January 5, 1886.

Application filed February 10, 1885. Serial No. 155,473. No model.)

.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. GREENER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Streator, in the county of La Salle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Thill-Ooupling Supports; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawings is a perspective view of my invention, and Fig. 2 a sectional view thereof.

The present invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements in vehiclethill-coupling supports; and it consists in the details of construction substantially as shown in the drawings, and hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the fore axle of a vehicle, and B the clip, to which the thill-iron G is detachably connected. The clip B is secured to the fore axle A by the clamping-plate a and nuts 6, the

plate having on its forward end a keeper, D, formed with a beveled end, 0. This keeper D is for the purpose of holding the fiat curved spring E in position,as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, when not in use. The spring E is attached at one end to the clip B, and extends up some distance and bent around, as shown at d, and thence extends down below the clip and is curved, as shown at 6, thus giving the spring increased strength and power, and when brought in position, as shown in full lines, bears with the necessary force against the eye f of the thill-iron to hold it in the required elevated position. The clip B has two forwardly-extending eye-plates, G, between which the eye f of the thill-iron Ois connected and held byacoupling-pin, H; The eye-plates G, and also the eye f of the thill-iron, have key-slots g to receive the keyed end h of the pin H.

When it is desired to connect the thill-iron G to the clip B, the eye f of said thill-iron is placed between the plates G and brought in position, so that the key-slot therein will be in line and register with the key-slots in the plates, when the pin H may be readily inserted.

After the pin has been inserted, asabove described, the pin is firmly and securely tightened by the cam 2' upon the outer side of one of the plates G, this being accomplished by turning the pin in the proper direction, so that the keyed end thereof will ride over the face of the cam, the keyed end of the pin and the cam holding the thill without the necessity of the usual nut, while the spring will prevent the thill-iron from rattling.

When the spring is disconnected from the keeper or catch hereinbefore described, it will bear against the eye of the thill-iron with a force necessary to hold it in position, so that there will be no rattling, but admit of the thill being readily moved up and down as desired.

In the detachment of the thill-iron the spring is first made to engage with the keeper, which is done by simply pressing it in a direction toward the axle, the beveled end of the keeper allowing the spring to freely ride over it and automatically engage therewith, as shown in dotted lines. The eye of the thill-iron is now brought in position so that the key-slot therein and the key-slots in the eye-plates will be in line and register, when the pin may be withdrawn and the thill removed.

When the vehicle is in use, the pin cannot possibly come out by reasons of its keyed end and the cam also, because the key-slots are not in line to admit the keyed end passing through them. The thills are required to be raised much higher than necessary for use in order to bring the key-slots in line, thus doing away with the necessity of nut and wrench, yet making a positively safe coupling, both easy, convenient, and handy to adjust.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a vehicle-thill-coupling support, the combination, with a coupling-pin provided with a keyed end, of the thill-iron and clip having key-slots, as shown, and a cam upon one of the plates formed with the key-slot, against which the keyed end of the pin bears to tighten it, substantially as and for the pur pose set forth.

2. In a vehicle-thill-coupling support, the combination, with the thill-iron and clip having the clamping-plate terminating at its forward end in a catch or keeper formed with a beveled end, of a flat curved spring connected at one end to the clip and extending upward and around and downward below the clip, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a vehicle-thill-coupling support, a thill-iron having an eye with key-slot, a clip having eye-plates with corresponding keyslots, and a cam upon one of said plates, in

I combination with a keyed end coupling-pin, a 15 GEORGE WASHINGTON GREENER.

Witnesses J. B. HILL, P. S. BUTTERFIELD. 

